Oleas Gallo, Nora Helena
Thumbnail Image
Preferred name
Oleas Gallo, Nora Helena
Main Affiliation
Quito
Email
noraoleas@uti.edu.ec
ORCID
Scopus Author ID
12645534600

Research Output
Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
No Thumbnail Available
Publication

Isolation and Characterisation of 11 Microsatellite Loci in the Ecuadorian Hillstar Oreotrochilus chimborazo

2017 , Oleas Gallo, Nora Helena , Harvey N. , Rodríguez-Saltos C.A. , Bonaccorso E.

The Ecuadorian Hillstar Oreotrochilus chimborazo is a high Andean hummingbird that inhabits paramo ecosystems from extreme southern Colombia to southern Ecuador. The species is currently divided into three subspecies that differ in morphology and geographic distribution but no molecular differences have been found between them using mitochondrial markers. The aim of this study was to isolate and test microsatellite loci to further explore possible genetic variability between and within these subspecies. Screening an enriched genomic library of O. chimborazo we obtained eleven polymorphic microsatellite loci. These markers will be used to further elucidate evolutionary patterns in the species.

View
No Thumbnail Available
Publication

Recent diversification in the high Andes: Unveiling the evolutionary history of the Ecuadorian hillstar, Oreotrochilus chimborazo (Apodiformes: Trochilidae)

2021 , Bonaccorso E. , Rodríguez-Saltos C.A. , Freile J.F. , Peñafiel N. , Rosado-Llerena L. , Oleas Gallo, Nora Helena

Studying the genetic signatures of evolutionary diversification in young lineages is among the most promising approaches for unveiling the processes behind speciation. Here, we focus on Oreotrochilus chimborazo, a high Andean species of hummingbird that might have experienced rapid diversification in the recent past. To understand the evolution of this species, we generated a dataset of ten microsatellite markers and complementary data on morphometrics, plumage variation and ecological niches. We applied a series of population and coalescent-based analyses to understand the population structure and differentiation within the species, in addition to the signatures of current and historical gene flow, the location of potential contact zones and the relationships among lineages. We found that O. chimborazo comprises three genetic groups: one corresponding to subspecies O. c. chimborazo, from Chimborazo volcano and surroundings, and two corresponding to the northern and southern ranges of subspecies O. c. jamesonii, found from the extreme south of Colombia to southern Ecuador. We inferred modest levels of both contemporary and historical gene flow and proposed the location of a contact zone between lineages. Also, our coalescent-based analyses supported a rapid split among these three lineages during the mid-to-late Holocene. We discuss our results in the light of past and present potential distributions of the species, in addition to evolutionary trends seen in other Andean hummingbirds. © 2021 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society.

View